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Hen Weekends

11 replies

RabbitsRock · 19/04/2025 07:10

Following on from another thread I’ve just posted on, I started to wonder when Hen Weekends became a thing? Many of my friends got married in the mid to late 80s & none of them had a weekend away with the girls leading up to the wedding. Some of them didn’t even have a hen night actually. I only had one because I thought I ought to - it was fun but I’d made the mistake of inviting 2 lots of friends that either didn’t know each other very well or had never met before so it was a little awkward at times. I wish now that I’d just invited my closest friends. But it never would have occurred to me to have a whole weekend ( I got married over 20 years ago).

OP posts:
WorldMap24 · 19/04/2025 07:14

I got married in 2007, and while I'm sure hen weekends were a thing by then, I think most people still just had a night out at that point. I had an night out with a whole bunch of friends from all walks of life and it was awful. I'm glad I didn't have to endure a whole weekend of it!

Pottingup · 19/04/2025 07:18

My friends started getting married in the mid 90’s and some just had hen nights (this seemed more normal) but a few were doing hen weekends abroad or in UK.

RampantIvy · 19/04/2025 07:18

All the hen dos I have been to, bar one, were in the 80s and 90s. They were all a night out involving a meal and a few drinks.

I went to one a couple of years ago that was an afternoon tea and that was lovely.

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Corinthiana · 19/04/2025 07:20

Yes, I've wondered that. It always used to be a "hen night". Me and my friends got married in the 1980s, so we just went out to a local restaurant or nightclub. Sometimes just at the bride's house. I think people have more disposable income nowadays. Any time away used to be saved for family occasions. Now people go to Lanzarote and Dubai. They have the money and the opportunity.

pearbottomjeans · 19/04/2025 07:20

I got married in 2012 and hen weekends were well established by then, just for context! I wish I hadn’t had one as well tbh. But I would do a lot differently if I was to get married now!

rookiemere · 19/04/2025 08:02

I had a hen weekend in 2005. It was a big farmhouse in the Lake District which was incredibly cheap and when we turned up it was because it was like a very low quality hostel, but we had a great time. I went to a few other UK hen dos around that time, they certainly weren’t abroad.
But I don’t have an issue with them being abroad as long as people aren’t forced to come . It’s a reflection I think that women earn more these days and foreign trips are cheaper.

Corinthiana · 19/04/2025 08:05

rookiemere · 19/04/2025 08:02

I had a hen weekend in 2005. It was a big farmhouse in the Lake District which was incredibly cheap and when we turned up it was because it was like a very low quality hostel, but we had a great time. I went to a few other UK hen dos around that time, they certainly weren’t abroad.
But I don’t have an issue with them being abroad as long as people aren’t forced to come . It’s a reflection I think that women earn more these days and foreign trips are cheaper.

I think you can have a good time in a hostel, it's all part of the fun. Yes, cheap foreign travel and women earning more.

jolies1 · 19/04/2025 08:13

My group of friends tend to congregate in a big city as we all left our home town & it’s easier for everyone to travel somewhere accessible - so hen dos have been Manchester, Liverpool, London etc.

PartlySun · 19/04/2025 08:46

I got married in 2003 and didn't have a hen do (and husband didn't have a stag either). Just not our thing or something the majority of our friends do/did.

I have only been on a couple of hens - both involved an overnight sharing a room (in a hotel) in a city fairly close (within 1.5 hrs) from where the bride lived. Main event was a meal and then a pub crawl with some kind of unifying item of clothing/accessory.

Mt563 · 19/04/2025 09:08

I've only been to hen weekends, all weddings post 2010 but it's because childhood friends moved away for uni and after uni, a lot of uni friends relocated for jobs so even a night out requires a hotel and we don't see each other as often as we'd like so it's nice to make a weekend of it. We keep it cheap but fun so no big do abroad but still.

FancyBiscuitsLevel · 19/04/2025 09:20

This comes up as a question pretty regularly on MN - the simple answer is “when going away with a group of friends (not just your family or DP) became common.” Often linked to cheap flights, settling down later (so have money to do girls/boys trips), plus the significant change in the numbers going to university (was around 8% of 18 year olds in 1970, up to around 36% now), so friendship groups are less likely to be living close enough to the bride/groom to just do a night out without having to stay over in a hotel.

I have at least one “girls” weekend away a year. It therefore wouldn’t seem as shocking to do a weekend trip for a hen do. My mum only ever holidayed with her parents or my dad.

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